A new candle-making company focuses not only on the best scents but also eye-catching designs. The market of scented candles has been one of the fastest-growing industries that is catering to several businesses such as cosmetic, house decorative, aromatherapy and more. Anywhere you turn, you can see a lot of interests in scented candles, from a DIY hobby to a dedicated crafted business.
The real question is how to make your business stand out in this competitive market. George Tran, Onside spoke with Fiona Nguyen, founder, F-ever Candle Co., a brand that is developing unique products that aren’t just regular candles.
Greeting Fiona, the first thing I wanted to ask is what do you think makes F-ever Candle stand out in the crowd?
I believe our unique design of each different scent is what attracts customers the most. To come up with these beautiful designs, I have to decide the main theme for each collection, like my latest one “The Breath Of Nature”, inspired by a special connection between inner love and natural energy. Then, depending on the selected fragrance, I will develop a unique look for each candle.
The second thing that our customers love is an outstanding experience that starts from the unboxing steps to displaying and finally using the candles. We take our customers through a unique journey with each different product. A scent can bring back more memories than any picture. Finding your scent can be an incredible journey of emotion and nostalgia.
Every candle is hand-poured with natural soy wax and premium vegan and cruelty-free fragrance oil. All our scents are also paraben-free and phthalate-free. Many mass candle manufacturers are using paraffin wax instead due to its cheaper price and stronger fragrance carrier feature. Yet, caring about our customers’ health and the environment, we decide to choose 100% eco-friendly and harmless ingredients.
After six months of operation, what are some of the achievements that you feel most proud of?
One of our most proud achievements is that I was able to bring our products into several new local gift shops. These stores can become the gateway for our customers to experience our product first-hand. A large part of our product appeal can be a tribute to the combination between the visual and the scent of our product. An actual display in real life where you can exhibit the product at its full characteristic is much better than just the aesthetic appeal online. One more
achievement that I’m proud of was the process of building a foundation for the brand. Thanks to the establishment of various product lines and the feedback from customers, we can design newer and refreshing themes that best cater to our customers for upcoming products.
What’s your north pointer in life, is there something that you take to heart?
One of the quotes I like is “Learn continually – there is always “one more thing” to learn.” It was a quote from Steve Jobs. As a Vietnamese, English is not my first language, I have found many obstacles in trying to build our brand’s recognition and developing my network. Understanding the local
customers’ consumer trends and expectations was a challenge at first due to the language barriers. Through a process of continuous learning and researching our target market, I decided it was time to step out of my safe zone.
Last December I registered for holiday markets across the city as well as local gift shops. It was a great opportunity to get a chance to promote my products in person with potential customers. Turns out, the support from the local community has been overwhelmingly. We were sold out at every market as people loved our candles, and we got a great deal of feedback. So, I think that learning has been such a monumental point that I’m proud to say that it has made me into a better person.
Lastly, what vision do you have and what do you expect to achieve with an F-ever candle?
The first goal is to introduce our products to more users, as well as scale up the operation to meet increasing demands. Through this business, I also hope to help and inspire young people to follow their passion, especially international immigrants like myself. It’s a known issue that many students don’t choose what they love or are passionate about.
Despite the discomfort or uncertainty, the fulfillment of actually doing something you love is the best anyone could ask for. Dreams don’t work unless you take action. So if you have a dream, start working on it today.
Author: George Tran is a St. Catharines-based freelance contributing columnist for the Onside Media. If you have stories to share kindly email: – georgetran.onside@gmail.com
